Nordirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan claimed victory at the Tata Steel Chess tournament in the Netherlands, which concluded on February 1. Fellow Uzbek Javokhir Sindarov finished second. A notable moment came in Abdusattorov's sixth-round game against world champion D. Gukesh, where a blunder led to Gukesh's resignation.
The Tata Steel Chess tournament, a prestigious multiweek event held in the Netherlands, wrapped up on February 1 with Uzbek grandmaster Nordirbek Abdusattorov emerging as the winner. Javokhir Sindarov, also from Uzbekistan, secured second place in the competition.
A highlight from the tournament was Abdusattorov's encounter with reigning World Chess Champion D. Gukesh during the sixth round. Playing as white, Abdusattorov faced a critical position after Gukesh, as black, moved his rook from g6 to g5, seemingly threatening white's queen. This move, however, proved to be a significant blunder by the champion.
Gukesh had anticipated that white would respond by advancing the e5 pawn to capture black's f6 pawn with check. In that scenario, black's queen could then recapture on f6, leading to an exchange of queens and a favorable position for black.
Instead, Abdusattorov opted for Qxf6, delivering check. Gukesh resigned immediately, recognizing the futility. Following the black king's retreat to g8, white's queen would capture the undefended rook on g5, sealing the advantage.
Such errors are rare at the elite level of chess, where top players typically achieve accuracy scores around 99% when evaluated against computer analysis. Gukesh's mistake stood out as atypical, yet he took responsibility, attributing it to himself and even his wife in a moment of self-reflection.